Buy another vehicle or repair the one I got????

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shawn johnson

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May 28, 2012
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Location
Milwaukee, WI
Well I am in a debate with myself.

I brought my '07 sportrac with 73,800 miles to the Ford dealer to troubleshoot a check engine light and the wrench light, which it displayed for a few minutes and disappeared. After some troubleshooting 2 hrs later, the guy came out and gave me some bad news. I will need to repair my transmission or replace it. He did tell me a new transmission would not be from Ford since they don't make those anymore and would be from another maker.

The above lights started showing this winter as it got colder and thats when I started to noticed rough idling with the RPM indicator spiking for a few minutes then it would go back to a normal reading. I guess some transmission part was acting up at that point.

A year ago, a dealer had to replace the thermostat housing when the temp light spiked for a few minutes during cold weather then once the engine warmed up it would go back to normal. I diagnosed this myself after reading the postings from other owners from this site with similar problems. The dealer wasn't sure that simply replacing it would take care of the temperature spiking since by the time i got the truck there, the light was off. This replacement fixed the temp spiking.

Today the dealer told me during their checks there was yet another coolant leak but apparently it wasn't serious enought to note in the final paperwork.

I told him i needed to think about the transmission repairs or replacement. I paid for the diagnostics today ($100) and got my Ford estimates:



Rear sway bar end links, $181

t-stat and o-ring, $187

FQR trans, $3,773

cooler line flush, $100

trans servo bores, servos, filter, 12qts merv v, blue pump gasket, $1900



Based on the past postings from other owners on this site and considering I am NOT a shade tree mechanic, I am debating whether to go ahead with these repairs or invest the money in new or certifield used vehicle. Once this work is done, whats next.

I have had about 5 vehicles in the past and I have never had to buy a transmission for anyone of them. And this coolant leak thing is baffling. Whether this is a radiator or themostat housing, I am surprised that there isn't a recall due to any of these issues.



What do you guys and gals think?

 
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I forgot to mentioned, not sure if anything came up on the diagnostics but he also threw in the cost of replacement of spark plugs and wires for $320. I asked this is normally done at 100K but he stated you can do that if you want.
 
I'd try to locate the best independent transmission shop in the area and get a second estimate. Are there driveability issues here? Did Ford tech tell you why a trans rebuild/replacement was needed? Before I agreed to lay out $6K in repairs I'd want to know more about the diagnosis. Maybe l1tech can shed some light here. As far as getting a replacement vehicle, you're going to lose a lot of money if you were to trade this car with a known transmission problem. How much do you like the Trac? If it's a good car for you then I'd fix it, probably by having the transmission rebuilt rather than replaced. You might do some research on Ford's 5R55 transmission, like link below I found by web search.
 
You mentioned not being a DIYer, but just for comparo - you can buy Motorcraft spark plugs and plug wire set at O'Reilly for less than $100, maybe better through RockAuto or Amazon. It's not that hard of a job.
 
Thanks Vic



The vehicle is drivable. In fact, I drove it from the dealer. The high idling appears to only happens if the vehicle is not warmed up enough. During the summer there were no issues. When I drove off today, the check engine light was off. Perhaps the tech at the dealer reset it or something.
 
Here's my Rx then: Full transmission service with pan drop and filter change, then flush to ensure entire system has fresh fluid. Find a decent shop to address the thermostat and coolant leak issues; pay shop to change spark plugs, wires, fuel filter. If you want the best fluids use AMSOIL (Disclaimer: I sell it and help sponsor this site). Good luck and let us know how things turn out.
 
Agree 100% with Vic, especially with issues of this severity and expense. If you have the time, get as many estimates as possible. You may be surprised how different the diagnosis and quotes are. There are many excellent independent transmission shops around, and they are usually NOT chains such as AAMCO, etc. Same applies to the other repairs unless it's covered under warranty. Ford dealer will always be the last resort for me.
 
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I1tech, the rpms spike only seem to appear if I only start and drive on cool morning. If I warm up the engine a few minutes prior to driving I usually don't see the spikes. To my knowledge, no codes were created for this issue.



 
My personal reasoning for paying the tariff of a dealer is for the "what if" coverage. Dealers tend to have more resources to correct mistakes timely whereas a lot of independents see these re-repairs as money postponements (because they need the paying customer business). This is not an absolute, but I find generally true. This noted, I shop around for price and knowledge (the dealer is not all-knowing) and balance the two.



I also agree that you can probably find a competent independent (not chain) transmission shop to do what you need for half that dealer estimate and, for better or worse, the transmission will probably be a rebuilt Ford 5R55 (not something you might have to guess about). You can opt for custom shift profiles (servos) and or torque converter, if you wish.



How to find a reputable transmission shop? Internet reviews and word-of-mouth, of course, but magazine articles can be a good source. When magazines do projects they tend to take vehicles to shops that have reputations for good service, quality and performance, and they typically provide contact information. Some of these can be spendy, no doubt, but not all. Find articles and get the names of the shops and contact them. I have contacted the authors of articles and received recommendations from them.



Seriously, the rear sway bar end links are inexpensive (~$20.00 each) and take maybe 30 minutes to R&R (no grease, either).



Maybe you have shade-tree mechanically-inclined friends upon which you can impose. You could do the plugs and thermostat in an afternoon, and take said friend to a nice dinner and still have saved a wad o' cash.
 
If the check engine light came on there was a code stored even if the light went off. If they told you there were no codes than they lied to you.



I've seen this issue before and unfortunately it has always resulted in a trans overhaul. I would have the fluid and filter changed first and go from there.





What I find interesting in your price quote is that they want to charge you $3,700 for a trans and then another $1,900 for trans parts...that doesn't make sense. The cooler line flush charge is B.S. also. Sure it needs to be done to make sure that there is no debris in the lines that could damage the transmission but that should be inluded in the job. That would be like paying for a drainplug tightening charge when they change your oil.



I understand your frustrations, however with the exception of your transmission there really isn't anything wrong with your vehicle.
 
Good advice from all, especially l1tech. I bought a used 07 Gen2 V6 before finding my current STA. I got it at 32K miles and put on another 37K in the ~3 years I owned it. It was mostly a reliable car but I did have the intake manifold pulled once when I was trying to cure a nagging RPM "hunting." I was astounded to see how much gunk was inside it. Getting that cleaned up made a big difference. I think the trans fluid change and a decent tune-up would be helpful to get you through the winter and give you time to decide on what to do long-term. Good luck and let us know your progress.
 
Could this be the throttle body problem that the drive by wire systems are known for? But if it is the transmission price it elsewhere. When my daughter's transmission died on her car I had a local Mr. Transmission shop do the work for less than half of what the dealer wanted. It came with a 12 month warranty but we never had to take it back for any adjustments or issues. And given your very short list of other needed maintenance items I would fix the truck and keep on trucking!
 
Thanks all. I1tech, the $1900 was for the repair and if I decided to get a whole new/remanf. transmission instead of the repair, then the price was $3700. One or the other. Sorry for the confusion. But thanks.
 
Perhaps there are issues with this model transmission. I checked the government's NHTSA site and others have reported similar issues as well as the following site:





Read more: http://forums.motortrend.com/70/9601851/car-truck-shopping/buy-new-or-repair-my-current-truck/index.html#ixzz2oQWTlw6y





http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2007/
 
Shawn ... maybe we aren't comparing apples to apples here, but for my Gen '01 ST I had my spark plugs & wires replaced @ 100k for $366.66. And @ 128k I had the thermostat, housings & o-rings replaced for $339.44. And then @ 132k I had the transmission & converter replaced & the cooler hot flushed for $2,395.29 @ my local MR. TRANSMISSION location that has an excellent reputation & the one I've been doing business w/all my driving life. I still drive the '01 w/no regrets w/the expense or results. And I also bought one of the last Gen 2 '10 STA to ensure I drive a ST for a long time.



Good Luck w/your decision.
 
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If it was me I would do a cost analysis. Add up the total cost to repair it. Whether you let the dealer do it, find an independent shop, or you and friends fix it. Then subtract that cost from the resale value of a comparable vehicle on autotrader. Then look at how much could you get if you sold the vehicle as is right now. Figure out which is the better deal. Will you get more money fixing it or is the repair too expensive and you are better off selling it.





Resale value if fixed - Repair costs = Potential Value vs. Current resale value



Of course if you love the vehicle then all bets are off and do it for love not for financial sense.



To save money always make friends with mechanics who do side work ( or DIY) and buy your parts on RockAuto.com.

 

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